Date: Fri 19-Feb-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Brian-Hamilton-hearing

Full Text:

The Future Sounds Great To Brian Hamilton

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

For the first time in his life, 16-year-old Brian Hamilton is able to hear the

sounds of the world -- a world where hearing is critical. For Brian and his

parents, Kim and Scott Hamilton, a medical breakthrough is transforming their

everyday lives.

The Newtown High School freshman can now hear the ringing of a telephone, the

blare of a radio, the clicking of a keyboard and the roar of a crowd. He heard

that last week when he hit the game-winning shot in a high school Parks &

Recreation basketball game.

"After the game was over I was so happy. It felt so good to hear all the

cheers," Brian said during an interview at his home on Currituck Road Tuesday.

Ninety percent deaf in both ears at birth, Brian spent the first 15 years of

his life in near total silence. He was 18 months old when he was first

diagnosed as having bi-lateral hearing loss.

This past summer doctors at New York University implanted 24 tiny electrodes

into his head. Now, with the use of a computer pack on his hip, Brian is able

to hear electronically. Prospects of both improved hearing and speech are

excellent, according to his mother, Kim. For now, however, Brian is learning

things as if he were an infant. The ability to hear brings with it a new set

of challenges.

"He's learning to hear one step at a time. You and I need to hear things 10-15

times in order to absorb something. For a deaf child, a sound must be repeated

100 times in order to be reproduced," Mrs Hamilton explained.

A top-notch athlete, Brian was a member of this past fall's junior varsity

soccer team and plans to play his favorite sport, lacrosse, in the spring. In

addition to playing in the Park & Rec basketball league, Brian also takes part

in the men's hoop league at Newtown Health & Fitness Club, playing alongside

teammate and former coach Dan O'Handley.

A person who is hearing impaired is considered handicapped. However, no one

would ever put that label on Brian.

"He is not of the mindset that he has this disability. Brian is aware of it

but does not want to acknowledge it 100 percent of the time -- for better or

for worse," his mother said.

His grades are among the highest in his college preparatory classes,

especially in math. He plans to one day get a job on Wall Street as a stock

broker.

At home, Brian is the leader among his three younger siblings, Nicole, 14,

Lauren, 10, and Alex, 8. According to Mrs Hamilton, the three youngsters look

up to Brian, but are also very protective. The Hamilton children recognize

their brother's strengths and respect him for who he is. They appear to be

sensitive to his needs, as well.

For the first time ever, Brian is able to use the telephone without the use of

a TDD.

"He is able to call me after practice to let me know he is ready to be picked

up," Mrs Hamilton explained. "He understands that we have successfully

communicated then hangs up."

Brian is now able to enjoy music for the first time in his life and has

already developed a taste for rap. He refers to his little brother's favorite

tunes as "girls' music."

Brian is studying for his driver's license test, which he is expected to get

this spring. He has the difficult task of learning not to become distracted by

someone speaking or a car horn going off.

"He likes to turn radio way up so we have to break some of those habits," Mrs

Hamilton said.

Brian spent the early years of his life living in Massachusetts. However, he

arrived in Newtown a year and a half ago when his father, an estate planning

attorney, relocated. Moving to a new town and a new school can be a difficult

transition for anyone, especially for someone who is hearing impaired. But

Brian has never been one to let a bit of a hearing problem get in his way. He

quickly proved to his peers that his hearing and speech disability had nothing

to do with who he was. His athletic prowess has a lot to do with his ability

to earn respect.

Brian spent several years at a school for the deaf in Massachusetts. The

experience was good for him, especially for academics, but he yearned to be

exposed to the world where people could hear.

"He was starving for the mainstream because he felt his deafness was an

issue," his mother explained. "Brian did everything he could to feel

comfortable with other hearing kids. He tried to prove himself so that he

would be accepted."

Brian has always had an intense drive to speak and has never relied on the use

of sign language. He reads lips as his main source of information.

An award-winning BMX bike racer and experienced snowboarder, there are few

sports Brian backs away from. The only sports he is required to avoid are

football and wrestling due to the seriousness of his operation.

In talking to Brian, he often hesitates for a moment before answering. Those

who do not know him might think he has not heard the question clearly.

However, Brian is simply taking a moment to think about his answer and how to

enunciate it clearly. This is a young man with a keen sense of his

surroundings -- a trait he picked up as he compensated for his lack of

hearing.

"His eyes have played an important part in his compensation factor," his

mother explained.

The cause of Brian's deafness remains a mystery, although Kim attributes it to

a serious illness she had during her seventh month of pregnancy. The real

answers may be just around the corner. Researchers at Galludette University in

Washington, D.C., have detected a chromosome gene that detects deafness. Brian

has been chosen as a subject for their research, which involves little more

than a simple blood test.

"We may be able to find out what has happened," Kim said.

Last summer's surgery was considered a success, but the experience was

stressful on Brian. The four-hour surgery required doctors to open up the side

of Brian's head. In the month that followed, Brian had to endure migraines

from the severe swelling. The headaches persisted as doctors increased the

amount of electrode stimulation.

Slowly but surely, Brian began to hear more and more. At first, he wanted his

pack turned off. Being able to hear for the first time was unpleasant for him.

The experience was unsettling.

Over time, however, he has been able to adjust and 15 years of muffled

stimulation were behind him. Brian was ready to take on the world.